Good Eats for Father’s Day 

With Father’s Day just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to make some recipes with them in mind. Here are a couple scrumptious recipe ideas that you might want to whip up for the dad in your life. So many fathers unselfishly dedicate themselves to their families, frequently reaching for fast and easy things to eat. Self-care is often not in their vocabulary. Let’s give them a hand with some tasty homemade options. Not all of the following recipes are the healthiest, however using less processed, whole food ingredients, is always better than not. Let’s face it, the dads want it like they want it…yummy. 

Poblano Bake

Roasted poblano peppers, stuffed with cheese, covered with fluffy egg batter, topped with more cheese, then baked till light, crispy, gooey perfection…That’s what we’re about to do here. This Poblano bake is the easiest way to enjoy the delicious flavors, and textures of classic chile relleno, skipping the frying everything up in the pan part… What a greasy mess. No thank you. This recipe can be enjoyed for either breakfast, or dinner. If serving it solo, serve it with a spicy kicker of some sort, or for a less spicy version, some sour cream and mild pico de gallo works well. Some good sides that would go well with this dish would be turtle bean salad, Mexican rice, tamales, salad with cilantro dressing, or guacamole…you get the idea. In this recipe I used Colby jack cheese and Monterey jack, but our favorite cheese to use is pepper jack…try it with the pepper jack. That’s the best!

Ingredients:

1.   8 poblano peppers

2.   1 tablespoon olive oil

3.    7 large eggs

4.    ¾ cup milk

5.   ¾ cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour 

6.    1 teaspoon baking powder

7.    8 ounces of your cheese of choice, cut up into 1 ounce pieces (pepper jack, Monterey    jack, Colby jack, cheddar) 

8.    1 cup cheese of your choice shredded

9.   2 cups finely chopped spinach

10.   ½ teaspoon salt

11.    ½ teaspoon garlic powder

12.    ½ teaspoon onion powder

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Rub the peppers evenly with olive oil and put them on a baking sheet. Place them in the oven to roast. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Pull the peppers out and rotate them. Put them back in for another 15 minutes…set another timer.  When done, the peppers should have charred blackened skins. Allow them to cool. 

While waiting for them to cool, prepare the batter. Separate the egg yolks and whites into two separate large bowls. In the bowl with the yolks add the milk, spinach, flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well and set aside. If your peppers are cool enough to handle, it’s time to remove the very thin outer layer of skin. Remove the stems, tops, seeds and membranes too. They are very delicate, try to gently do your work, and keep them mostly intact. I carefully run them under cold water to help clean up all the bits that are harder to get. 

Once done, you should be left with a pile of flat peppers that lay open. Place 1 ounce of cheese into each pepper and roll it up. Lay the stuffed peppers in a single layer in the bottom of a baking dish, and set aside. 

Using an electric hand beater, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Pour it over your stuffed peppers in the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, or until browned. Leftovers can be stored, covered in the fridge, for 3-4 days. Serve up a big piece for dad, and deck it out with all the extras!

Roasted Spicy Nuts

Here is a quick and easy recipe to whip up as a small gift for that dad in your life. It’s simple enough to make with kids, and allows them the opportunity to give back to the man that does so much for them. Helping children create homemade gifts is a great way to take them out of the receiving end of things. When a child makes something for someone they love, and feels pride for bringing them joy, it’s a beautiful sight. These roasted spicy nuts can be made in minutes, and are a great snack dad can take out with him, for when hunger strikes. 

Eating nuts can have many health benefits. Nuts may reduce the risk of heart disease, blood clots, and high blood pressure. They can also lower inflammation and cholesterol levels, are high in fiber, antioxidants, protein, and a good source of magnesium. Sounds good, right?

I chose a mix of nuts that I had on hand. However, you can really use any mixture of nuts you choose. Whichever nuts you like, just make the total amount of nuts equal 4 cups.

Let’s make them:

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup almonds

2. 1 cup walnuts

3.  1 cup cashews

4.   ½ cup brazil nuts

5. ½ cup pumpkin seeds

6. 2 tablespoons avocado, or olive oil

7.  2 teaspoons chili powder

8.   1 teaspoon garlic powder

9.   ½ teaspoon cumin

10.   ½ teaspoon black pepper

11.    1 teaspoon paprika

12.   ¾ teaspoon salt

13.   ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper—adjust this to your desired heat

Preheat the oven to 350 F., and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour all of your assorted nuts into one big bowl. Prepare your spice mixture by combining all the seasonings in a small bowl, and mix it up. Drizzle your nuts with your oil of choice, and stir to coat them with it. Next, sprinkle your seasonings all over the nuts, and toss them to coat them evenly with the spices. Place your nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet, and put them in the oven for 12 minutes. Everybody’s oven tends to cook a little differently…I recommend peeking in at about 10 minutes to see how things are going. When they have reached desired toastiness, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. 

Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Come on, go ahead and roast up a batch, they are addicting…I’m sure dad will love them! Wishing you good luck, and good health on all of your cooking adventures.